Late Hulran language
Late Hulran was the final stage during the independent evolution of the Hulran language. Spoken in the the Kingdom of Hulra during the end of its lifespan, it represented the last stage of the language that was still overwhelmingly free of foreign influences, ultimately the last Human language overwhelmingly free of external influences that post-date the evolution from Proto-Elven to Proto-Human. After the fall of Hulra in 274, the language came under Etrandish influence, which meant that thousands of words from Middle Etrandish and Eccelestial High Elven (and Middle High Elven indirectly via Middle Etrandish) entered the Hulran/Etrancoasti language, accelerating the shift from Late Hulran to Current Etrancoasti. Evolution from Classical Hulran Consonants * Phonemic distinction between voiceless /f θ/ and voiced fricatives /v ð/ emerges ** The voiced fricatives /v ð ɣ/ become closer to approximants in articulation * Voiced stops and fricatives got devoiced word-finally * Second Rhotacism: /z/ and /ʑ/ to /r/ * Voicing distinction between stops is replaced with aspiration distinction ** Voiceless stops /p t t͡ɕ k kʷ/ become aspirated /pʰ tʰ t͡ʃʰ kʰ kʷʰ/ (except in the syllable coda, where they became unreleased) ** Formerly voiced stops /b d d͡ʑ/ became unaspirated /p t t͡ʃ/, realized as voiceless t t͡ʃ word-initially, voiced d d͡ʒ medially. * The alveolo-palatal /tɕ dʑ ɕ/ became palato-alveolar t͡ʃ~d͡ʒ ʃ * Geminated consonants lost their gemination word-finally Vowels * /æ æː/ became /e ɛː/ * /ɒ ɒː/ became /o ɔː/ * The short /u/ became /o/, /ui̯/ became /oi̯/ * Length distinction was replaced by tenseness distinction for close vowels: ** the short /i y/ became laxed /ɪ ʏ/ ** The long /iː yː/ became tense /i y/, realized as long yː in open syllables (except word-finally), short otherwise. * The lowering diphthongs /ie̯ uo̯/ became centralizing /iə̯ uə̯/ Consonants * The unaspirated /k~g/ and /kʷ~gʷ/ appeared only in loanwords. Vowels Monophthongs * The main distinction between the tense /i y/ and the lax /ɪ ʏ/ was vowel quality, not length ** The tense vowels /i y/ were pronounced as long yː in open syllables (except word-finally), short y otherwise. ** Lax vowels never occurred word-finally. Word-final close vowels were always tense. * The vowels /ʊ/ and /u/ were only found in foreign words, and weren't distinguished from /o/ and /y/ in writing. ** Most likely, they also were pronounced as such. /ʊ/ as o̞, /u/ as y~yː. * The long vowel /eː/ and the diphthong /ei̯/ were only distinct in careful and formal speech. It was up to speaker preference whether to use the long vowel or the diphthong. * The long vowel /oː/ and the diphthong /ou̯/ were only distinct in careful and formal speech. It was up to speaker preference whether to use the long vowel or the diphthong. Diphthongs * The long vowel /eː/ and the diphthong /ei̯/ were only distinct in careful and formal speech. It was up to speaker preference whether to use the long vowel or the diphthong. * The long vowel /oː/ and the diphthong /ou̯/ were only distinct in careful and formal speech. It was up to speaker preference whether to use the long vowel or the diphthong. Category:Languages of Artograch Category:Elven languages Category:Extinct languages